A man has died and a woman remains critically injured following a police pursuit in Warwickshire that ended in a serious multi-vehicle collision, prompting an independent investigation by the police watchdog.

The crash happened on Monday afternoon in Stratford-upon-Avon after officers attempted to stop a black Audi on Birmingham Road at around 5.23pm.

According to Warwickshire Police, the vehicle failed to stop when officers signalled for it to pull over and instead continued towards the A46.

Officers followed the Audi as it travelled back towards Stratford-upon-Avon along the A439 Warwick Road. Around 20 minutes after the initial attempt to stop the vehicle, the Audi collided with a white Ford Puma at approximately 5.44pm.

The impact caused significant disruption in the area, with several other vehicles also damaged during the incident.

Emergency services rushed to the scene, where paramedics treated those involved in the collision. The man driving the Audi was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Ford Puma, a woman, was taken to hospital with serious injuries. She remains in a critical condition, according to police.

The circumstances surrounding the pursuit and the moments leading up to the collision are now being examined as part of an independent investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, known as the IOPC.

Warwickshire Police said it made a mandatory referral to the watchdog because a death occurred following police contact. The IOPC has since confirmed that it will investigate the circumstances of the incident.

The investigation is expected to examine the police response, including why officers attempted to stop the Audi, what happened during the pursuit and whether the actions of police contributed to the fatal collision.

A police pursuit can involve rapidly changing circumstances, particularly when a suspect vehicle refuses to stop and continues onto major roads. Investigators will therefore be expected to establish a detailed timeline of events from the initial attempted stop through to the moment of impact.

At this stage, police have not publicly released further details about why officers wanted to stop the Audi or whether the driver was suspected of a particular offence before the pursuit began.

The identities of the man who died and the critically injured woman have also not been released.

Their families have been informed of what happened and are being offered specialist support, police said.

Superintendent Steve Flavell said the force’s thoughts were with the families affected by the crash and acknowledged the devastating consequences of the incident.

“Our thoughts are with the families of everyone involved in this collision and we’re providing specialist support to them at this extremely difficult time,” he said.

He also confirmed that the force would cooperate fully with the watchdog’s investigation.

“We made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct because a death had occurred following police contact,” Flavell said. “They have declared an independent investigation and we will cooperate fully with their investigation.”

The IOPC investigation means that the circumstances of the pursuit will now be examined independently rather than solely by Warwickshire Police.

Such investigations can involve reviewing police radio transmissions, body-worn camera footage, vehicle recordings, statements from officers and members of the public, CCTV and other evidence gathered from the scene.

Investigators may also seek information from motorists who were travelling along Birmingham Road or the A439 Warwick Road at the time.

The collision occurred during the evening rush period, meaning there may have been a significant number of motorists in the surrounding area who witnessed either the pursuit or the crash.

Police have not said how many officers were involved in following the Audi, nor whether any police vehicles were damaged.

They have also not indicated whether anyone else was seriously injured beyond the two drivers.

The incident has nevertheless raised renewed questions about the risks involved when police pursuits unfold on busy roads.

A pursuit can be authorised when officers believe the need to apprehend a person or prevent an offence outweighs the risks created by continuing to follow a vehicle. The balance can become particularly difficult when a driver begins travelling at speed or behaves unpredictably.

In this case, investigators will need to establish what officers knew at each stage of the incident and what information was available to them before and during the pursuit.

The fact that the Audi initially travelled towards the A46 before turning back towards Stratford-upon-Avon will form part of the reconstruction of the vehicle’s movements.

Police said officers followed the car on the A439 Warwick Road before the collision with the Ford Puma occurred at 5.44pm.

The relatively short period between the initial attempted stop and the crash means investigators are likely to focus closely on the sequence of decisions made during those approximately 21 minutes.

They will also need to determine how the Audi collided with the Ford and how other vehicles became involved or were damaged.

For the woman who survived, the focus now remains on her recovery as she receives hospital treatment.

Her condition was described as critical, meaning her injuries are considered potentially life-threatening. Specialist support is also being offered to those closest to her as the investigation continues.

For the family of the man who died, the circumstances of his final moments are likely to raise difficult questions that may only be answered once the watchdog’s inquiry progresses.

The IOPC has not suggested that officers acted improperly. Its involvement follows the mandatory referral made by Warwickshire Police because a death occurred following police contact.

The independent investigation should establish whether the pursuit was conducted appropriately and whether anything could have been done differently before the collision.

It is also likely to consider the actions of the Audi driver and the wider circumstances that led police to attempt to stop the vehicle in the first place.

The investigation could take time as officers and investigators collect evidence, speak to witnesses and analyse footage and other records.

Meanwhile, roads around the collision site may face disruption while investigators complete their work and examine the vehicles involved.

The fatal crash comes amid wider public attention on the dangers associated with police pursuits, particularly when vehicles travel at speed through populated areas. Every pursuit presents a difficult balance between protecting the public from an immediate threat and preventing further danger being created by the pursuit itself.

In Warwickshire, that balance is now at the centre of an independent examination after a police operation ended with one person dead and another fighting for her life.

For now, authorities have urged people to avoid speculation while the investigation remains in its early stages.

The families of those involved are being supported, while investigators work to establish exactly what happened between the attempted stop on Birmingham Road and the devastating collision on the A439.

The answers will be important not only for the families seeking to understand how their loved ones became involved in the crash, but also for determining whether any lessons need to be learned from the police response.

Until the IOPC completes its investigation, many questions surrounding the pursuit and the fatal collision remain unanswered.